By Alessa Pang

THE job layoffs as a result of the bleak economy have been a blessing in disguise for charity organisations.

Four out of 10 interviewed by The Straits Times said more people were knocking on their doors to become volunteers.

Many are graduates and retrenched workers having little luck with job searches who have decided to do something meaningful with their time instead.

'We're inundated,' said the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals' executive officer Deirdre Moss. 'We've seen double the number of applicants since February. We've never seen a situation like this.'

The Salvation Army, too, saw an increase in registration for volunteers in January and February of 50 per cent from the same period last year.

The Singapore Red Cross also said it had had a 'considerable increase' in interest to become volunteers since the new year, while the Family Life Society has noted a 'small increase' in the number of people applying for training.

Many new volunteers are like Mr Chan Ying Wah, 50, who joined the Singapore Red Cross last December.

He lost his job as a salesman in November and has been unable to find work ever since.

He said: 'It hasn't been easy. So I thought to myself, 'Why not volunteer?''

It was always something in the back of his mind that he never got around to doing till now.

He now hopes to continue even after he finds a job, though he has yet to be called on by the Red Cross.

'It's good to help people. I find meaning in that rather than just helping myself,' he said.

Others, like Mr Christopher Leow, 22, are not new to volunteering but now have time to do more.

Over the last three years, he has helped out with the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) on weekends, working mostly with the intellectually challenged by organising camping trips and outings for them.

But Mr Leow, who holds a Higher National Institute of Technical Education Certificate in Business Information Technology, completed national service in June last year and has not been successful in landing a job since then.

So in the interim he has decided to commit full-time to the YMCA. It is invaluable experience, he said.

'I've gained a lot of experience from my stint as a volunteer. I've learnt to understand the needs of my beneficiaries and gain leadership skills.'

Though voluntary welfare organisations know it is a transient trend and that many of their new recruits will drop out once the economy picks up, they are hopeful there will be a happy ending.

As Ms Moss noted: 'It's a big step for anyone to be a volunteer. But you never know where it will take you. I started out as a volunteer myself.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.